The end of us
by LightningWolfHowl
Summary: X.A.N.A has won. The artificial intelligence now rules earth. Humanity stands on the brink of extinction. The Lyoko warriors are now only a distant memory but among the remaining humans, some of the warriors still struggle to survive in a world ruled by their old arch-nemesis.
1. Prologue

The night that everything changed was remarkably beautiful.

The air was still and silent and despite the hour it was still warm. Few witnessed it however as they were busy sleeping at such an early hour of the morning. The entire city benefited from an unusual quietness which it seldom saw in the daytime. This was the time for sleep in preparation for the day to come.

It was no different in a medium sized house in one of the calmer neighborhoods. The tranquility was abruptly shattered as the phone rang. It took a good minute for anyone to even remotely stir but the caller was persistent. Eventually, a young woman staggered her way out into the corridor, still half asleep. She found her phone, which she had left to charge in the living room. Yawning, she answered it without thinking to check who was calling.

"Yes?" She asked exhausted "Jeremy? What the hell are you doing calling? It's-" She glanced up at a clock on the wall "Half three! I've got work tomorrow!"

She listened to the panic stricken voice on the other end. It was amazing how quickly such a tone woke her up. Her tiredness and initial annoyance at being given the call disappeared in a matter of milliseconds. Suddenly wide awake, she rushed back into her room, with the phone still pressed against her ear listening to her old friend. She opened the blinds slightly and looked out of the window; a strange glow now occupied the horizon.

Now, also in full blown panic mode she headed back to her bed and shook its remaining occupant who was still sleeping deeply, seemingly unaware of what was unfolding around him. He groaned a couple of times unhappy at being awoken so roughly. He finally opened his eyes, still not quite aware of what was happening.

"Ulrich! Ulrich! Wake up!" She shook him roughly "Oh God! Kai!"  
"Huh?"

The young man got out of bed still not quite aware of what was going on. He gave her a confused glance as she rushed out of the room. He really was the least of her concerns at that moment though. She had woken him that was all that mattered right now where he was concerned. If the voice on the phone was to be trusted, he would know soon enough what was going on anyway. What was important right now was to get a head start.

She rushed into a small room and flicked the switch turning on the lights. Her eyes instinctively softened ever-so slightly as they fell upon the still slumbering child. Kneeling down by the side of the bed, she gently placed a hand on the child's shoulder. It didn't take much to wake him; doubtlessly the commotion had already done that for her. His dark eyes looked up at her obviously baffled at what was going on. He rubbed his eyes trying to get them accustomed to the sudden brightness of his bedroom.

"Mom? What's going on?" He asked her still half asleep  
"No time to explain Kai!"  
She picked up the child in one arm whilst succeeding in keeping the phone pressed against her ear. Jeremy was still talking. Yelling more like, he was screaming instructions but almost all of them could be summed up by the word _run_. She bumped into Ulrich as he in turn tore out of the room. Acting quickly, she passed him Kai. It was clear that the young child was becoming increasingly terrified as he gripped onto his father for protection.

She rushed over to the closet and grabbed her shoes and those of the rest of her family. It was going to be the only luxury they could afford as well as being a necessity if any walking was to be involved. The father and son put their shoes on without asking complaining or even questioning both of them could sense that whatever was going on was far too serious for them to have any time to waste.

"Hey what's up with the sky?" The young man asked looking out of the window "It can't be sunrise already."  
"Jeremy! It's started!" The woman informed him fear creeping into her voice  
"Yumi, you're less than a mile away!" Jeremy yelled at them. "You're going to be the most immediate targets! Get out of there now!"


	2. Chapter 1

One liter of water weighed about a kilogram.

It was incredible the amount of information which his brain stored and that most people would have considered useless, yet he knew it not to be. For instance, with that bit of knowledge, he could say that the bucket of water he was currently carrying weighed approximately 7kg. It was probably going to be closer to 6 and a half by the time he got it to where it needed to be, as he had been unable to fill it up to brim and he was likely to spill some whilst transporting it.

He contemplated the water in the stream. Of course, having such an immense amount of knowledge also meant that he knew how risky drinking this water was. Sure, they were close-ish to the source here but that didn't prevent it from potentially containing bacteria or some other unpleasant micro-organism. Oh, how he longed for the time when he didn't know where their food or water came from; it prevented him from worrying about it.

He turned to look at his companions, the one nearest to him was a young girl she had already filled two buckets and was carrying one in each hand. A little older than him, she was a grand total of two inches taller, her short pink hair came down to her neck. Her blue eyes turned to look at him and offered him a faint smile.

"Sure I can't help you there Chip?" She asked him seeing how difficult he seemed to be finding it to carry the bucket  
"No! I'm fine." He muttered trying to mask his struggling

He was smaller than his sister. Life had gifted him with great brains but sadly not much in the way of physical strength. Of course, he was still young. He hadn't even celebrated his twelfth birthday yet and was being asked to carry around ridiculous weights. It didn't seem to bother his sister however who could easily manage a bucket in each hand. He let out a sigh, running a hand through his longish blonde hair before deciding to risk pulling a muscle and picked up the bucket.

"Come on guys." An older voice told them "This is yellow territory; we do not want to be caught out here with our pants down."  
"Right." Chip agreed beginning to walk.

The two pre-teens followed their older friend. Friend maybe didn't quite qualify here but it was as close a word to describe their relationship as Chip could think of.

The older teen was 15 years old since last month. He had neck length shaggy dark hair and vaguely Asian features. He was already tall, he was now only a few inches smaller than Chip's mother. He had been doing this heavy work for longer than them as such possessed a strong lean build. He could have easily powered ahead of them but chose not to for reasons only known by himself; probably some sort of care. His dark eyes made sure that neither of the two kids fell behind.

Chip wouldn't have minded being as strong as him; using a carrying pole he succeeded in carrying two much larger 10L buckets up the hill. Even being as strong as his sister and carrying two smaller buckets would have been nice. Instead he struggled to carry just one which wasn't even completely full. He had been gifted with brains not brawn and at times like this; it was the latter which was more important.

That wasn't to say that his sister or their older friend were stupid strongmen; far from that. Marie was very bright, more than was typical for a thirteen year old. She could solve complicated algorithms in half the time it would have taken a capable adult. Although he was nothing special in that respect, the older teen was clever although perhaps not in such an obvious way. He's intelligence lay more in his knowledge of this forest and how to survive. If you needed help with math, science or computer theory you asked Chip or his sister; if you wanted to survive in the wilds then you needed the dark haired teen or his father.

Chip stumbled almost spilling the water from his bucket. He only just managed to catch himself. Pausing for a moment, he took the chance to take a couple of deep breaths. Looking up, he contemplated the steep hill ahead of him. Why? Oh, why did they have to live so high up? He knew of course, they needed the shelter of the caves up there. Still, it didn't make the water trips any easier.

"That's too heavy for you isn't it Chris?" The older teen asked looking back  
"I'm fine." He declared struggling to carry it a few inches further  
"Fine… Yeah. That about covers it." Marie cast a skeptical glance over her little brother  
"I'm telling you I can handle it."  
"Instead of saying you can handle it when you obviously can't, let someone else do it who can."

Chip felt a slight chill down his spine as he noticed the imposing figure behind him. Timidly, he turned around and looked up into the brown eyes of the man standing behind him. His stern expression told the boy that he wasn't in the mood to joke; then again, anyone who knew him also knew that he never wore a smile. He was a tall man with a lean build and neck long brown hair. He had a little bit of stubble around his chin, which he apparently hadn't been able to shave off in a few days.

Bending down, he picked up the young boy's bucket and added it to his pole. Despite his intellect, Chip didn't know just how he managed to carry that much water in buckets using his pole without spilling it. He powered ahead of the teens without saying another word. The trip back up the hill certainly was a lot easier without having to carry the buckets but he would happily have passed on the guilt factor. He felt bad not helping as he watched his friends carry buckets and playing a part…

They reached the top of the hill two minutes later. The man was waiting for them. They put their buckets down and took a couple of deep breaths under his watchful gaze. With the exception of the Asian boy who kept his distance from them, who preferred to look out over the forest and the mountains it covered. There was snow at the top of a lot of them that never melted. It would have been considered beautiful were it not for the dangerously cold temperatures during winter.

After the kids had caught their breath, they carried their load of water a little further. Slowly, a small encampment came into view.

It was primitive in every sense. The huts - or what passed for them - were made out of odd pieces of wood and looked as if they might fall down at the slightest gust of wind. They were humid and in some places the wood was rotting through. The recent rains had caused the path the turn to mood. A fire burnt in the center of the small encampment, over which roasted several animals. Not farm animals though, they were a luxury that they hadn't known in quite some time, no these were forest creatures which had been slayed and now would act as some form of limited nourishment.

They passed several groups of people, all busy doing one thing or another. Some were busy trying to sow together bits of fabric, they were all too aware of the harsh winter coming. Others tried desperately to repair their shelters, whilst some carried large piles of branches and sticks which they would use to burn. Few tended to the injured or sick. Nobody did nothing; that was a rule here no matter how young you were, everybody contributed to surviving.

Right now, he knew that there were patrols surrounding their camp and guarding them. There were groups of hunters and foragers running through the forest desperately trying to find the next meal. The only time things ever slowed down was at night, even then; the guards took turns in keeping watch.

They dumped the water in a large silo near the fire to ensure that it didn't freeze over during the night. Each bucket was passed to the men with shaggy hair who emptied it in. A woman with pink hair and green eyes took note of the volume, it was almost full. She turned to look at them with a wide and kind smile.

"That's great you guys!" She declared "One more load ought to do it."  
"Christopher can't keep up yet." The man declared looking down at the blonde child "We need to find him something else to do."  
"Well, work's not something we're short of here." She replied still not losing her smile  
"How about you Marie? Can you keep up?" The tall man asked  
"Yes, one more shouldn't be a problem." She assured him  
"Good. Now, I want my daughter back. Kai, you keep an eye on her."  
"Okay Aelita." The tall teenager agreed earning a glare from Marie  
"I'll find something for Chip to do." She promised

The man nodded before picking his buckets back up and slinging his pole over his shoulder. He headed off with his two accompaniers in toe. Chip turned to look at his mother slightly ashamed that he had been unable to help more. He knew that she had better things to do than look after him, especially when winter was so close. Still, she gave him a warm smile and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Let's see if we can find you a job to do."

She eventually found one which involved preparing the meat from various animals for the meal. There was zero waste: feathers could be used for pillows or isolation, fur could become potentially frostbite preventing gloves, the insides were always good for a soup, even bones could be turned into arrowheads or something else potentially useful. Waste had become an unknown word for the inhabitants here. They simply couldn't afford to turn their noses up at the food anymore.

Chip spent a good two hours plucking and gutting. It was far from a pleasant job but it was one he had become accustomed to since he had become old enough to be reasonably asked to work. At least, he was of some use he told himself. If Kai and Marie helped and participated then he had to as well. He let out a deep sigh, carrying a small rabbit over to Maria; Maria was one of two Italians at the camp, a warm bubbly person who always saw the lighter side of things, she was one of his mother's best friends, even if her French was a little shaky.

He found his mother along with his sister and Kai later that evening. They were waiting patiently for him along with the tall man with brown hair. The sun was dimming which meant it was nearing time for bed. An hour before sunset was dinner time, everyone lined up ready to get their share of whatever was on the menu. Usually it was a bit of a pushing and shoving frenzy as everyone rushed to the front hoping somehow to get more or better food. In practice, it made little difference.

"Come on Chip, we've got to get in line." Marie told him joining the queue  
"You shouldn't wait for me." He muttered quietly "If you're at the back, the food's cold."  
"If we didn't wait for you; you'd be at the back and you know they don't save any." The man told him  
"Besides, we couldn't have our meal without a chip now could we?" Aelita laughed ruffling her son's hair "We need at least some carbohydrates."  
"I _really_ wouldn't bet on that tonight Aelita." Kai told him  
"What? No five course buffet? Kai, you're getting lazier by the day."  
"I shot down three pigeons this morning!" The teen declared proudly "Not that I imagine there's much of them left by now."  
"What did you pigeons do to you anyhow?" Marie asked him  
"They looked tasty…" He replied with a toothy grin.

That night's meal didn't amount to much. It seldom did. I was always the same; tough, old boot meat from something which somebody had managed to shoot down with an arrow. Usually, there would be some vegetables of some kind; those that they grew rarely sufficed to feed everyone so wild ones were often added. They were allowed each one potato which they grew and stored in limited numbers. It went without saying that their meals were hardly nutritious.

They carried their meals back to the little cabin which they called home. It was cramped with five of them living there at the same time. As they entered it, the man reached up and lit a small lantern before closing the door. They ate sitting down and using old, mismatched pieces of cutlery. Twenty years ago, they would have refused to eat it; now they didn't even contemplate chucking it out. Food was vital for survival; they couldn't afford to waste any of it.

"You know, if you try really hard, this actually tastes like a burger." Kai declared looking at a piece of slightly burnt meat on the end of his fork.  
"Really?" Marie who had already finished asked  
"Yeah…" Kai replied.

Aelita sighed; she knew what he was doing and honestly appreciated it but it didn't make watching her children go hungry any easier. The food they had in their stomachs wasn't nearly enough to fill two growing pre-teens. It was even worse for Kai, although he never let it show. It hurt her to have to see her two kids suffer as they did; from hunger, from the cold, from fear… Still, their bravery never ceased to amaze her.

There was a few moments pause. She noticed Kai reaching forwards with his plate, ready to give the rest of his meal to his younger friends. Aelita raised a hand stopping him. He needed the food if he was going to keep on growing and stay healthy. She however could perhaps afford a little more to donate some of her food to her children. She said nothing as she gave a portion of her meal to her daughter. She looked over to the side to see that the man had done the same for Chip.

"You kids need to stand up for yourselves." He declared getting to his feet "They're not giving you the right portions."

With that, he got up took their empty plates and glasses and left the hut. Aelita stayed starring at the door for a few moments, deep in thought. He was right of course but then those in charge of handing out the food being mean weren't the only source of their problem. As she was being increasingly reminded, winter was coming and that was never a good thing here. It was cold enough already at their relatively high altitude and it wasn't going to get warmer for a good few months yet…

Shaking her head, she tried to get those depressing thoughts out of her mind. She walked over to a small wooden crate stored in a corner of the room and opened it. Inside, she found an old, tattered book. She smiled and got it out before showing it to her delighted children.

"Who wants a story?"

Half an hour later, the sun had gone down completely. Aelita sat in between her two children, reading _Peter Pan_ to them. The children listened intently to the story. She had been reading it to them for about a week now. They would snuggle together for half an hour every night as she read it to them under the light from their lantern. In his own little corner, Kai read a separate book. Outside, everything was silent as the camp slept.

"I think that's enough for tonight." Aelita told them marking the page and closing the book  
"Aw come on mom…" Chip began to beg  
"No." She said firmly "You need to rest for tomorrow."  
"But just a page more would only take a minute." Marie argued  
"Well, that's a minute more you could be sleeping." The pink haired mother replied getting up, she was quite used to their arguments "We'll continue tomorrow, I promise."

Getting a couple of blankets, she carefully tucked her two children in. They were always tired at this time of night, as was she. Their days just seemed to drain all their strength. She knew that within a few moments of her leaving, they would both be fast asleep. They slept on the floor, propped up slightly by some rags to keep them at least slightly away from the damp. She knelt down next to them and gave them both a kiss on the forehead.

"Goodnight." She whispered before noticing that Chip was already asleep  
"What about me?" Kai asked  
"You've already listened to the story, isn't that enough for you?" She asked him raising an eyebrow  
"I was reading my book." He replied showing it to her  
"Don't pretend. I can see that you're still on page 152!" She told him laughing slightly  
"Okay fine. I eavesdrop!" He admitted before noticing that she was about to leave the cabin "You're going after him again?"  
"Someone's got to keep an eye on him." She muttered grimly "Can you keep an eye on them for me?"  
"I won't let them out of my sight." He promised before yawning "Until I fall asleep that is…"  
"Goodnight Kai." She replied after a slight chuckle  
"Goodnight…"

With that Aelita left the hut. Outside was now completely black. There were no lights or fires lit after the sun had set, not outside, they would give away their position. Of course, that made it virtually impossible to make your way around. She was lucky that tonight there was a moon. Then, again with the possible exception of those on watch duty nobody was out at this time. They all slept, few maintained the strength required to work all day and then to be out late at night. She knew one person however who was an exception to that rule.

Walking over to their stables, she found one of the night watchers. It was a middle aged woman called Amandine. Everyone knew everyone else at the camp, considering that there was only about fifty of them it wasn't a difficult achievement. Amandine gave her a tired smile as she saw her approaching.

"Going after him again?" She asked  
"Yes." Aelita replied glancing around "Someone has to."  
"I guess." The guard replied letting out a sigh

Aelita headed into a larger hut and contemplated the horses within it. They owned a grand total of eight horses, in the day they grazed on the grass on the hill and at night they were brought here to ensure they weren't attacked by predators. They had managed to gather bridles and saddles for all of them. They were used as a quick method for getting around but last year a couple had been eaten when things got seriously rough.

She only counted seven; it figured that he would have taken one… He always did. Picking up a saddle and bridle, Aelita prepared a gray mare which she suspected would have been happier sleeping. She had learnt amazingly quickly how to ride and prepare a horse. With her horse ready, she went outside and got into the saddle. Amandine gave her a concerned look before eventually letting out.

"He's a broken man. You should know that more than most."  
"I know…"

With that she spurred her horse on to go and catch up with her old friend.


	3. Chapter 2

_"__Step on it Ulrich!" Yumi cried loudly holding her son  
"How could this happen?! How?!" He asked her speeding up the car  
"I don't know and neither does Jeremy for that matter." She replied looking out the back of the car to the burning city behind them  
"I hope Einstein can come up with something quickly!" He replied keeping his eyes firmly in front of him  
"Don't you get it Ulrich? It's too late for that. People are dead now, the center of Paris is swarming with monsters…" Yumi marked a brief pause as the earth shook slightly "Even if we could somehow reach the factory, it wouldn't undo everything that's happened."  
"I- I don't believe that…" He replied gritting his teeth "There's got to be a way!"  
"Mommy, I'm scared."_

Yumi lowered her eyes to the shaking child on her lap. She ran a hand through his dark hair and softly hushed him. It somehow magically provided a little comfort to the child, who decided to close his eyes and try and block off everything that was happening.

Now, as people figured out that something was very wrong, they poured out of their houses and into the streets desperately trying to get to their cars. They had the advantage of already being on the road of course and Ulrich wasn't planning on stopping for anybody. Every now and then he would have to swerve out in order to avoid somebody who wasn't looking whilst pulling out. Behind them, there had already been one accident where two motorists had collided. He suspected there would only be so much further that they could go, before they would get bogged down and have to make their way on foot.

"Ulrich! In front of you!"

He had just enough to time to slam on the brakes, bringing the car to an abrupt halt. People had started running in the opposite direction as fast as their legs would carry them. Down the street, marching in lines came a group of ten kankrelats, followed by a krab. The lyoko warriors starred wide eyed. Somehow, Jeremy's warning hadn't really seemed real until they saw the creatures make their way down the street towards them.

Poleaxed for a few moments, Ulrich finally managed to pull himself together. He yelled loudly to his family :

"Yumi! Take Kai and get out of the car!" 

"Ulrich?"

It was a strangely soft voice which awoke him from his dreams. He turned to see Aelita Belpois standing only a few feet away. Her horse grazed on the grass near to his own. He said nothing, acknowledging her presence only with a nod. It was a nice night in the sense that all of the stars were out as was the moon but the lack of cloud cover caused the temperature to drop considerably. He could see that some frost was beginning to form on the ground. This was going to be a hard winter without a doubt.

"You're really pushing it." She gestured at the red paint on the rock he was currently sitting on  
"Its fine." He replied  
"Really? So that isn't the red zone over there?" She pointed out to the town in the distance "And we're not sitting in the amber zone?"  
"It is but what I meant was I won't let X.A.N.A spot me." The samurai replied looking to the sky  
"How are you going to do that when you're sleeping?" Her tone reminded him of that of a mother with a misbehaving and unreasonable child  
"Who says I was sleeping?"  
"Oh yeah sure… You just had your eyes shut and were slumping over randomly."

Ulrich let out a frustrated sigh. Aelita smiled slightly and took that as her cue to sit down next to him. Tonight, she had made sure to bring him a blanket, well it was closer to a cloak actually but it would keep him warm. In that respect, he never had matured; he still insisted on leaving at the same time and not bothering to tell anybody else, which meant that he couldn't ask those in charge of supplies for extra clothing to keep him warm. This had become something of a routine for them.

He would come out here and think about life, or at least that what he'd say. In practice, she knew he was thinking about the past; the same incident again and again. He would roll it over in his mind. It was a poison which was destroying him every single night and he was allowing it to do so. She was helpless where her old friend was concerned, all she could do was come out here and keep him company.

"Your son is an impossible flirt." She eventually told him trying to lighten the mood  
"Well, he didn't get it from me!" Ulrich replied blankly  
"I never said he did." Aelita defended herself chuckling at her friend's reaction "It's a shame that there are no kids of his age."  
"If there were any more kids here, Michel would have Chip and Marie sent off for sure."  
"Kai too." Aelita informed him, noticing the look of surprise on the father's face "He stands up for them." She explained "Since he's your son, I guess Michel sees him as a way to get to you…"  
"What did I ever do to him?" Ulrich asked dryly  
"Oh, I dunno… Drew a sword on him the last time he asked us both to tell him who we are."

The Lyoko warrior didn't reply to her statement. Of course, he knew that. Their relationship with the leader of the camp was strained to say the least. On one side it was very clear that he despised them for refusing to tell him just how they knew so much about X.A.N.A and his monsters but he couldn't afford to get rid of either of them. It lead to an uneasy truce between them, Aelita could understand his position but there were some very good reasons for them not divulging their identities. She tried to shake the thoughts of their little group falling apart out of her mind; surely there was something slightly more optimistic to talk about…

Ulrich's chosen spot for reflecting about life as a general was beautiful. It was at the top of a hill over-looking a valley. Before X.A.N.A, it must have been a lovely place to live. They were sitting in what remained of a mountain, which long ago had been occupied by terraced farming. A little bit further back and higher up on the mountain was the forest which concealed their home. The town in the valley had once been home to some 15,000 inhabitants. Only two had survived that they knew of.

"There are more of them tonight." Aelita noted looking down into the town  
"You're right and that's never a good thing."  
"You think X.A.N.A's planning an attack?"  
"No." Ulrich shook his head negatively "If he were, he would do it quickly and silently. We wouldn't even see him coming."  
"Well that's reassuring."  
"You know as well as I do that it's the truth."  
"When was the last time you smiled?" Aelita asked him.

There was humor in her voice and she was used to asking the question. She always got the same response: a lack of one. Her old friend hadn't smiled in a long time nor had he laughed. She knew why and she knew as everyone said that he was beyond hope. Yet for some reason, she never gave up trying to bring the old him out and break the prison of ice which seemed to have formed around his heart. Maybe it was because he along with a group of teenagers had never stopped trying to save her or maybe it was because it hurt her to see him ignore his own son.

"You should be sleeping." He declared  
"Has it ever occurred to you that our conversations go round in the same circles every night?"  
"I had noticed yes."  
"So you know that I reply-"  
"I'm not coming back until you come too…" He muttered sounding almost put off  
"There you go then."

Ulrich let out a deep sigh and turned back to look at the town.

Aelita reminded herself that this must bring back at least some form of memory to him. Unlike her, he had been in Paris at the moment of X.A.N.A's rising; in the Ishiyama household as a matter of a fact. It would have been difficult for him to get much closer to the immediate attack area. He had been there when the monsters had stormed through the streets of the city killing everyone that came before them. He and Yumi had been the first Lyoko warriors to be directly attacked and hunted… Yumi…

Aelita raised her eyes to the sky wondering if the twinkling stars somehow held the answer to all their questions. Maybe they knew if humanity truly was doomed…

"How's François?" He asked  
"He's not going to make it." Aelita let out in a massive sigh "His whole right arm's become gangrenous…"  
"If it ever happened to me, I think I'd rather you shot me."  
"I couldn't do that Ulrich." She told him honestly "But some of the others are considering it…"  
"Shooting me?!"  
"No!" She paused a moment before explaining "They're considering killing those deemed beyond medical help. So that we don't use up any more medical supplies on them.  
"We say all that stuff about us being so much better than the machines…" He grumbled "But when it comes down to it, I'm not always convinced…"

Aelita nodded solemnly. They had learnt the hard way that in this world, X.A.N.A wasn't the only threat.

She thought about what her life had become now; hiding in the heights of the mountains and almost freezing to death every winter. Every day, she struggled with the wounded, injured and sick of the camp amongst other things. She watched as her children virtually starved some nights yet managed to keep smiling… If that wasn't enough, she had to witness perhaps her last remaining old friend turn as cold and ruthless as the world around him…

"Do you think that we're the last ones left?" She asked him  
"I don't know. Probably."

It was an honest answer and one which she was increasingly inclined to believe was true. The forces which had lead the two of them to come to this place, one of humanity's last strong holds hadn't been so kind for their friends and loved ones. At best they were unaccounted for, that was the case for 80% of the old Kadic crew and at worse they were dead.

At first, they had hoped that some contact would be established as soon as the country had recovered from the initial shock of the destruction of Paris. As the months had rolled on however, it had become more and more apparent that this wasn't just some X.A.N.A attack that they would be able to counter-act. When the monsters rolled across continents and crossed the oceans and as humanity's armies crumbled, it had become apparent that things were not going to be that easy.

Ulrich had summed it up in words which at the time having only just reunited with him she had found defeatist, now she found them shockingly realistic: _it's not about fighting back anymore, now it's just survival_.

"Let's go back." He eventually decided.

She managed to hold back a relieved sigh, tonight he was being rather reasonable it would seem.


	4. Chapter 3

_"__I just got news from Odd!" Jeremy rushed in looking thrilled with himself  
"What?!" Aelita jumped out of her seat upon hearing the news  
"He's managed to gather some of the others." Jeremy announced showing her the laptop "They're heading to Bordeaux. It sounds like they're planning on creating some kind of resistance."  
"That's great!" She smiled widely "It's about time we had some good news!"  
"Yeah!" Her husband agreed with her "Odd says that he's met up with William and Sissi, as well as some others from Kadic!"  
"From Kadic?" Aelita repeated a little surprised "But how?"  
"Considering all the weird stuff that happened whilst we were pupils there, I think we proved that students at Kadic academy are rather hard to kill."_

Aelita hadn't felt quite so much joy in a long time. It had been three months since X.A.N.A had attacked in force. Already, things had been looking very bleak; Paris had fallen within a day. Then the monsters had just poured out; like a tidal wave of water after a dam break. There were already rumors that the monsters had crossed the channel using the Chunnel and were in Britain. Luxemburg, Germany and Italy's forces were reputed to have begun falling back from the borders.

For weeks now, refugees had been fleeing as far away from X.A.N.A as they could get. Jeremy and Aelita however had managed to set up a safe base of operations from where they had been trying to organize some sort of resistance.

They had been sending all the information they had about X.A.N.A to the world's armies in the hope that it would help them fight the new threat. So far, they hadn't been very successful it had to be said. It seemed like their old enemy could adapt to anything and everything. If humanity destroyed 100 of his monsters, they lost 1000 of their own soldiers at least. Anything run by computers had fallen under X.A.N.A's control, which had led to them having to disarm half their weapons.

Still, the news that their friends were alive warmed their hearts. The idea, that out there somewhere Odd was still cracking his jokes and having to put up with Sissi, gave them both some hope.

"What about Yumi and Ulrich?" She asked in a slightly lower voice

Jeremy let out a sigh and gently took her hand. She lowered her head slightly in sorrow. She had been expecting such a response. Jeremy was the sort of person who would always let her know if there was good news. The lack of a sudden joyous outburst meant that there was still no news on that front. Considering what had happened in Paris, the fact that they hadn't heard from their two old friends could mean two things: either they were hiding too deep to be able to contact them or they were dead…

"There's still no news." Jeremy told her softly "It doesn't mean that they're-… They could be in hiding. X.A.N.A couldn't kill those two when they were thirteen! What are the chances of him getting them now?"  
"You're right…" Aelita left a pause before deciding to change subject "How's the virus going?"  
"_**Very**__ slowly!" Jeremy replied showing her some of the programing "But I'm sure I'll have it cracked in a few weeks!"  
"I'm sure you will…" Aelita replied heading over to a cot where a baby girl slept and gently stroking her hair "Then all this nightmare will be over…"_

Aelita was gently shaken awake by Ulrich. All at once, she saw the concern in his dark brown eyes. She realized that something was seriously wrong: the sun hadn't risen yet.

Outside of their hut were several torches belonging to a group. Aelita raised an eyebrow wondering what was happening. Still groggy, she got to her feet and came over to her friend's side. He was peering out through one of the many cracks in the wall. She joined him; of course she recognized the leader of the camp Michel and his five friends he had brought along as backup. It was also difficult not to miss the guns that they were carrying.

"What does he want?" Aelita asked her friend figuring that he might know  
"I don't know. I way lying awake when I heard some yelling." Ulrich uttered a curse beneath his breath "What the hell does he think he's doing with those torches?! X.A.N.A will spot them for sure!"  
"We'd better go out there."  
"Keep the kids in here…" Ulrich declared placing a hand on his swords "I don't like this."  
"Neither do I."

She turned around; they were all still sleeping very soundly. This commotion was the last thing that they needed right now… Before she had the chance to wake them herself, the loud pounding of a heavy fist against the door did it for her. The children looked around startled and confused; she placed a finger over her lips signaling them to be quiet. They nodded slightly, huddling together for a little more safety. By the door, Ulrich had already drawn part of one of his sabers.

"What is it Michel?" He asked the man on the other side of the door  
"We need to talk Stein! You too Stones!" Came the voice from outside  
"What about?" Aelita asked  
"We just received a message from X.A.N.A." Michel replied loudly  
"What do you mean you received a message?!" Ulrich asked him "That's impossible!"

He was right. In a desperate attempt to protect themselves, they had banished all things electronic from the camp. Anything which relied on a current could potentially be used as a weapon by X.A.N.A or at least be used to track down their location. That was the main reason for their primitive living style. It was there for impossible or any message to get through from the supervirus: they had no radio, no computers, no telegram… Nothing. If that wasn't enough X.A.N.A supposedly didn't know of the existence of the camp.

"One of our scouts discovered these leaflets in the forest. It turns out that X.A.N.A's been dumping them everywhere. They're addressed to the entire human race."  
"Why tell us?" Aelita asked before adding in the hope of diffusing the situation "I'm sure you are more than qualified to deal with it. After all, you are in charge."  
"This needs your expertise Maya." Michel replied "It was you and Hans who told us everything we know about X.A.N.A. You're opinions seem pretty much invaluable."

Aelita turned to look at her friend. He nodded solemnly. They didn't have much of a choice here anyway… They were outnumbered and outgunned. A fight here would prove catastrophic for them, especially with the children to take into account as well. Like it or not, they probably had to do what Michel and his buddies said. Ulrich cautiously pushed open the door and went outside. Aelita gave her children one last glance and what she hoped was a comforting smile, in an attempt to try and convince them that all was well.

She stood outside ankle deep in the mud before stretching out her hand to catch one of the white flecks falling from the sky above them.

"Snow…" Ulrich muttered collecting some himself. "Great and it's only November."  
"Come on you two…"

Come on actually meant them being escorted away from the rest of the camp. It was fair to say that they were both popular amongst most of the other inhabitants of the camp. Their popularity was for two very different reasons however: Aelita's warm and friendly personality as well as her medical knowledge made her a difficult person to dislike as well as being an indispensable member of their organization; Ulrich however was a different kettle of fish, although he opened up to nobody save for his old friend, people respected him for his combat strength: it was he who had the record for the most amount of X.A.N.A monster kills.

Aelita suspected that was why they were being led away like this. They wished to avoid creating a scene.

They followed Michel further up the mountain and away from the camp. The snow was already beginning to settle and formed a thin coat of white powder on the ground. As beautiful as it was, winter had lost its charm quite some time ago for the survivors. Now it meant only two things: no food and frostbite. They settled near a rock formation, on a cliff over-looking the valley. It was impossible to make much out in the low darkness ordinarily but tonight with the light from the full moon on the snow covered mountains, everything seemed to have gained a silver hue.

"Okay. What's this about?" All the usual politeness dropped out from Aelita's voice, she didn't like being separated from her children under any circumstance much less uncertain ones.  
"Do you two know a group of kids called the Lyoko warriors?" Michel asked them

Aelita cast a glance over to Ulrich. He face was as ever made out of stone and harbored the same grave expression. It was impossible to guess what he was thinking.

They had never told anyone who they were or who they had been. The Lyoko warriors were a myth, a legend which was whispered around by the survivors. They brought hope of some kind: the idea that humans could face up to the machines and could win… Caution however had prevented both Ulrich and Aelita from ever revealing their identities. As far as the people here were concerned, they were Maya Stones, a young French widowed doctor-in-training with two children and Hans Stein, a german soldier/refugee with his young son.

"We've heard of them." Aelita replied  
"Of course, everyone has! The kids who stood up to X.A.N.A..." Michel mused "And they really were kids. I mean look at this photo, they're what? Thirteen? Fourteen?"

The old Lyoko warriors looked surprised as the leader of the camp handed them a photo. It looked as if it would once have been part of a poster, the bottom of which had been torn off. Now all that remained was a photo which was strangely familiar to them. It was one they had taken some time ago, a very long time ago in fact. It was during the X.A.N.A years, when they fought him on a regular basis and won. Their entire group was there, all smiling, so happy and enjoying life.

Aelita felt her eyes fall upon Jeremy, God… He looked so young standing there in his blue sweater with his large glasses. Ulrich's eyes rested firmly upon the young Japanese girl, standing next to him with an arm around his shoulders. Odd was there of course, with Kiwi. If only those children could have seen who they would become, they might not have liked it…

"There're young alright." Aelita agreed "Where did you get this?"  
"X.A.N.A's been dropping them all day." Michel explained "One of the scouts found it. It's strange, they thought that two of these kids looked a lot like you two."  
"Do they? I wouldn't know." Ulrich replied "The chances are they're dead now anyway."  
"The note came with some names too Jeremy Belpois, Odd Della Robbia, Aelita Scheaffer, Ulrich Stern and Yumi Ishiyama. These kids came from the ends of the earth…"  
"What else did the message say?" Ulrich asked growing suspicious  
"X.A.N.A has promised sanctuary to all those who hand over the Lyoko warriors." Michel announced

Ulrich and Aelita exchanged a somewhat more uncertain glance. Neither were too sure that they liked where this was going. In all the years that X.A.N.A had been active; he had never once contacted or tried to contact the humans. The two Lyoko warriors weren't sure just how safe they were: for starters it wasn't too clear whether or not their cover had just been blown. Even if they were discovered, would their current allies give them up?

"What are you getting at?" Ulrich narrowed his eyes glaring at the other man  
"Hans!" Aelita scolded seeing that her friend's losing his temper could blow their cover "What he means is; we're not them, which is what I think you're implying."  
"That's what I thought too… I mean they're dead right? Otherwise, X.A.N.A would have been defeated a long time ago, since they're _so_ powerful." Michel paced up and down a couple of times before turning back to face them "Then it occurred to me, your son calls himself Kai Ishiyama, doesn't he Hans? Or should that be Ulrich Stern?"

It was only a strong glare from Aelita which prevented Ulrich from drawing his swords. Still, she had been too slow to prevent him from reaching for them; a movement which hadn't gone unnoticed by Michel and his armed buddies. In a split second, all the guns were pointed at the two of them ready to shoot them should they try anything violent. Reluctantly, he lowered his hands in a surrendering motion. His old friend breathed an internal sigh of relief, she would rather that they not get shot here and now…

"So all these years, you two have been hiding amongst us; pretending that you were just regular refugees." He paused for a moment before taking the photo back and contemplating it "So let me guess; Christopher and Marie are Belpois' children and Ishiyama is that Chinese girl, Yumi."  
"Japanese." Ulrich corrected glaring daggers  
"Why not tell us?" He asked  
"We were afraid that you might hand us over." Aelita replied "That and we didn't want to disappoint you."  
"Too late for that... I'll admit, I had slightly higher hopes for the legendary Lyoko warriors."  
"Yeah? Well so did we."

There was a long pause following Ulrich's declaration, it rung terrifyingly true in Aelita's heart. They had initially believed during the first attacks that they would simply be able to fight off X.A.N.A like they always had by getting to the supercomputer. Evidently, that had proved to be a complete failure. They had never got back into Paris, let alone to the supercomputer. It was far too heavily guarded by X.A.N.A's monsters and they lacked the military might to get even half way there.

"You need to go!" Michel told them  
"What?! You can't kick us out! Winter's almost here!" Aelita argued  
"That's not what I meant…" Michel let out a frustrated sigh "One of the scouts who found this went and delivered it to X.A.N.A. He promised your heads on a platter."  
"What?!" Ulrich yelled outraged "He knows X.A.N.A will just kill him right?!"  
"I'm guessing he was desperate." Michel replied rubbing the back of his neck "I've ordered a complete evacuation. Looks like X.A.N.A finally found a way to get to us… We ended up giving ourselves up… What are you waiting for?! Go! Your horses are ready!"

The two Lyoko warriors nodded before beginning to rush down the hill. Michel and his friends followed, they needed to get back to the camp as well. Panic filled Aelita as well as fear for her children. This was far from the first time that they had had to flee before X.A.N.A but every time, the danger seemed greater and greater. They could already hear commotion as the men and women struggled to get everything that they needed.

"Why are you doing this?" Ulrich asked whilst running alone "Why let us go?"  
"Well number one is that we figured X.A.N.A is after you guys so he'll chase you not us." Michel replied before adding "Number two, I've seen you two in action. Even although you couldn't stop this apocalypse, I reckon that you might be the only ones able to defeat him."

At the foot of the hill, the kids were already waiting with five horses saddled and ready to go. They each carried a bag full of supplies. Both Chip and his sister looked thoroughly terrified: wide eyes, even shaking slightly. Kai seemed to be contenting himself with simply looking forwards towards the expanse of the forest and the falling snow. Aelita rushed forwards instantly jumping into her horse's saddle whilst Ulrich grabbed a bag which his son passed him and placed it over his shoulders.

"Has X.A.N.A finally found us?" Chip asked in a shrunken voice  
"I'm afraid it looks that way…" Aelita didn't believe in lying to her children in order to comfort them "But for now, don't think about it. We've just got to ride."  
"Okay…" Marie replied tightening her grip on the reins.

Without warning there was a loud explosion and the ground shook. A terrible silence followed for a few moments before distant screams of terror could be heard. Almost instantly they were drowned out by the sound of heavy gunfire. They could make out a part of the camp in the distance, faint red flashes were also visible; it was a sign that they had learnt to recognize all too well: lasers.

"They're here." Ulrich declared grimly


	5. Chapter 4

The children remained frozen in place on their horses looking behind them to where they could hear the battle. Even for the two youngest, it awoke some terrifying memories…

_"Jeremy!" Aelita's cry rung out through the thundering rain. "They're only a mile behind us now!"  
"I know!" He shouted back so that she could hear him "But this rainfall is washing away the path!"_

Jeremy walked behind them slightly. He was the one with the gun ready for when the monsters finally caught up with them. They had fled two weeks ago into the Alps but X.A.N.A had never been far behind. Now, in autumn they struggled along a moody river bank to try and find somewhere to hide. The rains had been unusually bad this year causing the river to serge up far higher and more violently than it usually did. Their every step was being slowed down as they became bogged down in the viscous mud.

X.A.N.A gave them no warning; he had simply appeared one day. They had been lucky to escape with their lives. After six years, he had finally found them and now, he was sparing no expense in his attempts to find and kill his old enemies. The children were too young to be running like this; they could barely keep up but neither of their parents were able to carry them. As a result, they hustled them along as best they could; holding their hands to try and help them keep up.

Aelita would never forget what happened next, not until the end of her life.

Without warning a large part of the bank simply gave way; washed into the coursing river. With it slipped Chip, Marie and their mother. Jeremy barely had enough time to realize what had happened before he saw his wife and two children get swept away. In an instant, he was running along after them as fast as his legs could carry him. Aelita grabbed her two children; desperately trying to keep them together and their heads above the water.

"Aelita!" Came Jeremy's increasingly distant cry  
"Jeremy!"

She was abruptly brought back into her current reality by a laser beam which came perilously close to them. She suspected that the shot wasn't intentional but rather a miss or a deflected shot. In any case, it was simply too close for comfort. She quickly checked her gun; she had enough bullets to take out a few monsters but probably not enough to join the fight. They had learnt long ago that you couldn't confront X.A.N.A head on. At best you could keep him at bay a while and then make a quick retreat.

"Aelita! Take the kids! I'm going to see if I can buy you and the others some time!" Ulrich declared getting onto his horse  
"Okay."

She received a couple of surprised looks from the children wondering why she was allowing him to leave and risk his life so easily.

She didn't have time to explain to them. They would hopefully understand one day; preferably sooner rather than later; that sometimes the right decision wasn't always an easy one to make. Ulrich was a strong fighter, he would be able to hold back X.A.N.A's monsters longer than most, with his experience and he would also with any luck be able to best judge when it was time to pull back and retreat. Even although she would rather that he rode with them and that he be safe, she knew that tactically it was better if he stayed back there. Besides, there was no time to argue.

"Come on!" She told the kids setting off at a gallop in front of them.

It took a moment but they quickly followed her. Ulrich was already disappearing in the opposite direction.

Aelita made a quick note of their current direction: they were heading south-east further into the Alps and the mountains. It would be harder for X.A.N.A to find them in all that forest and with any luck they would be able to find a cave or something similar to hide in. As they galloped along, the sound of the fighting became fainter and fainter, a small relief for even if they could no longer hear it they knew that the battle was still raging and that their friends were probably being killed.

The children kept up as best they could. They remained in an arrowhead formation with Aelita up front and guiding the way. Just where she was going, she wasn't too sure…

Their knowledge of the surrounding areas was poor to say the least. When they had first set up the camp. They had created several zones:

· The green zone: where they lived, it was generally considered to be safe

· The yellow zone: they had never encountered any of X.A.N.A's monsters there but caution was still advised

· The amber zone: monsters were frequently spotted there and travelling there was prohibited

· The red zone: X.A.N.A ruled, anyone who went there died. It was plain and simple.

Although that system had allowed them to stay alive for many years, it had also prevented them from ever exploring. Obviously, that meant that they didn't know what awaited them further in the mountains or anywhere else for that matter. It was true that most of X.A.N.A's presence was concentrated around the cities where he would scavenge metal and computer parts to continue to grow his army.

"Kai, have you ever seen any of X.A.N.A's monsters passed the river?" Aelita asked him suddenly  
"No." He replied "Never."  
"Neither have I." She replied before turning her horse "We're not heading to the mountains anymore! We're heading west!"  
"What?!" Marie asked speeding up to ride alongside her mother "But the mountains are safer!"  
"And X.A.N.A will be waiting for us there!"

The kids paused as if they were considering her words. Perhaps if they had fought X.A.N.A as long as she had then they would understand that X.A.N.A relied purely on logic. The logical place for the humans to flee would be deeper into the forest. Therefor it was likely that the artificial intelligence's monsters would be waiting for them there. The least logical place to go was to the west heading out towards the desolate lands. That was where they were currently heading.

Aelita's heart was in her mouth. She wished that she could be 100% confident about her decision. She wished she could assure her children and the son of her best friend that everything was going to be alright but the truth was that that would be a lie. She had no way of knowing that beyond the trees they weren't going to discover an army of krabs and mantas. All she had was the hope that she was right and that X.A.N.A would be waiting for them in the forest.

As the distance between them and the battle became larger, silence settled in. There wasn't a trace of X.A.N.A, just as she had hoped. As they rode on, they even dared slow the horses to prevent them from tiring. They rode on for the rest of the day, trying as best as they could to not think about what could possibly have happened to their friends and allies back at the camp. Silence reigned over the little group as they rode along to the sound of their horses' hooves on the earth.

It was turning to evening by the time that they finally stopped. Aelita couldn't have said how many miles they had covered and without the faintest sign of any enemies either. It all seemed too good to be true. They tethered the horses, allowing them to get some well-earned rest and to graze on the long grass. Still, not a word was exchanged between the group as they set up their own camp.

They set up a small fire and cooked some of the food which they had been given. They must have travelled far down the hill as the temperature was markedly warmer. Aelita let out a sigh as she contemplated their supplies; it could have been worse but then it was hardly ideal either. They had enough food for one maybe two weeks, no medical supplies whatsoever and only basic clothes. Considering that both Marie and Chip were too young to hunt for themselves; that would leave just her and Kai and with winter almost there it would make pickings scarce.

"Do you think the others got out okay?" Marie asked looking down at her piece of bread  
"I'm sure they did." Kai assured her placing a hand on her shoulder

Aelita didn't respond. She didn't want to get their hopes up.


	6. Chapter 5

The morning's sun failed to bring much warmth; it was only just strong enough to pierce through the mists which covered the valley. Aelita was the first awoken, her eyes fluttered open to see her two children wrapped up warmly only a few feet away, both of them were still fast asleep; exhaustion and stress had both taken a heavy toll on the two of them. Their mother slowly tried to pick herself up. Her muscles were tense and sore from a mixture of the hard day's riding and the cold dampness which surrounded them.

Kai was also fast asleep, curled up in a little ball trying his best to keep warm. She let out a soft sigh wondering what her old friend would have thought at seeing her young son sleeping on the ground with little more than a blanket. In a way, maybe in some strange way, it was a good thing that she hadn't lived long enough to see what had become of her family and the rest of the human race for that matter. They were reduced to sleeping on the ground in the mud and scavenging for food like animals, a little over ten years ago most dogs wouldn't have lived like this.

_I miss you Yumi…_ She thought to herself. God, she missed _so_ many people. Jeremy was at the top of the list, every morning she would wake up, expecting him to be there only to find him absent. The lack of her husband left a hole in her heart which she wasn't sure would ever heal up. Odd Della Robia, what she would give to hear one of his jokes or silly comments right now. William, Jim, Sissi Mr. Delmas, her parents-in-law and now Ulrich… They all left a massive space which she had more and more trouble filling and hiding from the others.

Still, she was now in charge of their lives; she had that responsibility to shoulder alone. That left her with no opportunity to waste time feeling sorry for herself. Getting to her feet, she walked over to the slumbering children and teenager and gently shook them awake.

"Come on guys! On your feet, we're out of here in half an hour."

They nodded rather groggily as they pulled themselves together. Whilst the children prepared diner, Aelita ensured that none of the horses had been injured in the escape the day before. After a quick examination, they seemed to be in good enough health and a night's rest had done them some good. Still, they would have to be a lot slower and more gently today; after all, they were animals not cars. She patted her gray mare on the neck; the horse gave her a brief glance before getting back to the much more interesting grass beneath its feet.

Their breakfast was bland to say the least: tinned beans. One of the few vestiges of the old human civilization which remained was tinned food curiously enough. That was because it was still good to eat, even after all these years it still hadn't gone off. Occasionally, back at their old camp, they would stumble across a house and raid its supplies in search of tinned foods. The supplies that their little group had were such finds; these beans have been picked before Christopher had even been born…

"Remember." Aelita told them as they mounted their horses once again "Any sign of X.A.N.A whatsoever, even if you're not sure you tell us!"  
"Right." Marie spoke for the group of youngsters.

The horses walked on through the woods and deserted fields. Nature reclaimed its rights, it was only natural. Where once there had been fields of corn and wheat, now the forest was beginning to return. It also led to some rather interesting scenes such as the ever growing herds of wild cattle which existed further north in regions like Brittany and Normandy. If only it was safe to venture that far, it would have solved a lot of their food problems…

The ride attracted the interest of the two younger children; they had very few memories of life before the camp. They could remember their father, the blonde haired genius but as they had been born only a few years before X.A.N.A had taken over, they had no memories of the world which humans had ruled. This world which they now rode through fascinated the two of them; every now and then, they would pass a house and take a note of its architecture and design. They would imagine the people that had lived there and how they must have had an easy life.

It made their mother smile softly as she noticed it, even in the darkest of hours, her children's curiosity seemed boundless. This was in some way an adventure for them, the idea that their lives were at risk now seemed far removed from their minds as they came across a series of road signs pointing to various French villages whose inhabitants had abandoned them a decade ago.

Her eyes turned to see Kai on his flaxen horse. Unlike them, he seemed to be rather unimpressed with this world which he was rediscovering. Of course, he had lived in it. He could remember it, even if only vaguely, which meant that he could also realize how much everything had changed. It wasn't like in some disaster movies where for some reason everything was crumbling apart and only ruins were left. Instead, everything was still standing; it was simply empty of inhabitants. Things were different in the cities where there had been more fighting: some of them had been virtually whipped off of the planet.

The teen's dark eyes covered the vast outstretches of land but all the time, his memory kept on drawing him back to a distant past, his own. Yet it still stung him as if it was happing at that very instant.

_Ulrich stepped hard on the accelerator causing the car to speed forwards towards X.A.N.A's monsters. Yumi held her son as close as she could; he was frozen in place from fear. The car collided with the Tankrelats without much difficulty, they made an awful crunching sound as he drove over them and the car bumped as if he were driving over potholes. It was a different story when he collided with the block however. It was like hitting a brick wall. The monster itself was knocked over and promptly exploded but their car was instantly wrecked. _

_Yumi instantly rushed forwards, picking her son up as she went. Inside, Ulrich was lying stunned against the now deployed air bags. Acting quickly, she opened the door. He wasn't seriously hurt thank goodness; he might have some nasty bruises tomorrow but nothing more. Slowly, he turned his head to look at her before struggling out of the car. He fell to his knees on the pavement outside gasping for breath._

_"That was a stupid thing to do!" She told him._  
_"Had to be done…" He replied _  
_"Come on, we've got to get out of here before X.A.N.A sends some real nasties!"_  
_"Right…" Ulrich winced getting to his feet_

"What do you think Kai?" Marie asked him  
"Huh?" The teen asked been shaken from his thoughts  
"What should we name the horses?"  
"Oh."

Yumi Ishiyama's son looked around trying to remember once more where he was. He had been daydreaming again or more accurately remembering that day, that terrible day, ten years ago. Not a day went by where he didn't think back to it. He could remember almost every single second, as if it had been forever burnt into his memory. He would most often find himself back there if he had nothing else to do but think, he had little else to do on this long horse ride so figured that he should be expecting many more flashbacks during their journey.

Remembering the younger child's question, he replied:

"My horse already has a name, Yama."  
"Oh yeah, what does it mean again?" She asked.  
"It's Japanese for mountain isn't it?" Chip joined the conversation "From that lullaby, right?"  
"My mother's lullaby, yes." He replied blankly  
"So what should we call them?"  
"I don't know. I guess it's up for you to decide, since we can't ask them."

Eventually, Napoleon and Hannibal were decided upon for the two bay horses which the children rode. Aelita named hers Apple. It was a way to pass time although it didn't exactly last long. Kai had named his horse when he had found him a year ago. Considering its rather flighty temperament nobody had really minded when he had claimed the animal as his own. He had learnt to ride out of necessity, as they all had, horses didn't generate electricity and had become the only truly safe way to get around with X.A.N.A on the prowl.

They rode on gently only stopping briefly for lunch. They chose a secluded glen. It allowed the horses to rest and graze on some of the grass whilst they themselves feasted on a loaf of bread between them. They had been making bred at the camp for a few years now, once they had managed to grow some wheat, it had become a staple part of their diet along with potatoes. Unfortunately, it didn't last half as long and soon became stale and too hard to eat. Still, the children most certainly weren't complaining.

Aelita smiled to herself as the kids started trying to find animal tracks or rather Kai taught them how to find them. Perhaps it was because he had spent more than half of his life in the wilderness and had grown up with a "eat or be eaten" mentality but Kai had a natural talent for everything that involved tracking, hunting and overall survival in the wilderness. More so than his father, Ulrich, he was brilliant when it came to fighting X.A.N.A, unfortunately he wasn't so good with wild animals.

So when Kai lifted his head at the sight of some birds flying off, away from the forest. She knew something was up. He put a hand on Chip's shoulder, stopping the child who was busy following a rabbit's footprints in the mud.

"Get them to safety!" Aelita instructed getting her pistol quickly  
"Right."

Kai began to hurry the younger children back over to the horses. They needed to move and move quickly. He helped them into the saddles. The horses looked a little unhappy at being disturbed so soon into their meals: both Napoleon and Hannibal's ears went back as the children sat back down in the saddles. Just how X.A.N.A had located them, she didn't know. After all, they had been careful. It must have been a random group which had detected the presence of humans and set on search ad destroy mode.

Kai gave her a nervous look before heading over to his own horse. Yama raised his large head and whinnied. The teen suddenly turned his attention back towards the forest, as if he were rediscovering it.

"Aelita wait a second!" He requested.

The pink haired woman gave him a brief glance. Every second they waited, meant that X.A.N.A would find it all the easier to catch and murder them. Dying was something that Aelita was honestly prepared to do if it meant that her children survived. If however nothing was gained it seemed like an awful waste. Still, for some reason she held off and kept her gun firmly in her hand but didn't order them to go.

A few moments later, a fifth black horse with a tall rider emerged. It was Ulrich.


	7. Chapter 6

**Yay! A comment! Sorry for the delay but major storms=major power-cuts! **

**Hopefully this chapter will answer your question 21 is ****_Awesome_****. **

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The lyoko warrior raised his head slightly upon noticing the other group. He didn't speed up however, if anything he slowed down slightly. Now that he had found them, he could afford to take it easier. His horse needed rest. Aelita and the children felt a swell of relief wash over them as they saw the familiar figure draw ever closer. As did Yama as he saw his old horse friend approach, he had sensed them a while ago and called out. That was how Kai had known, that it wasn't X.A.N.A approaching but rather an old friend.

Aelita began to walk towards Ulrich. Her gun still clenched tightly in her hand. Ulrich got off of his horse as soon as he was a little closer. The way that he dismounted (very stiffly) told Aelita that he hadn't stopped riding in a while. His face was blank as he approached; showing no signs of joy at encountering them once more. There were dark lines under both of his eyes; she doubted that he had slept last night.

He paused a couple of feet in front of her. Without hesitating, Aelita pulled her pistol up and aimed at his forehead. Behind her, the kids gave her confused looks wondering just what she was playing at. The gun was very much loaded and only too capable of killing him.

"Prove that you're not a spectre!" She told him keeping her finger on the trigger "What was the name of the woman you love?"  
"Yumi Ishiyama." Ulrich replied bitterly, Aelita still didn't lower her weapon "That's a bad question. X.A.N.A knows the answer to that. After all, he killed her."  
"But X.A.N.A wouldn't have pointed that out." She lowered her weapon, offering him a smile "Good to have you back."  
"I thought I told you never to bring up Yumi?"

Aelita let out a sigh and watched as he walked past. Perhaps the question had been too close to home for him and had hurt him but it was the only thing that she had been able to think of to ensure he wasn't a spectre. They had more sophisticated ways of telling of course but it required hours of interrogation, at a time like this, she only had a few moments. Her question had caused her old friend to slip into one of his grim moods once more but considering that he was almost permanently in such a state these days anyway it was hardly a change.

"Aren't you going to ask me?" Aelita asked walking after him  
"X.A.N.A wouldn't have pointed a gun to my face." Ulrich replied  
"Point taken." She agreed, Ulrich walked past his son and the children without so much as a second glance. "How did you find us?"  
"I was going to head towards the mountains when Dominique told me that he'd seen you guys turn tail and head west. I took me three hours to find your tracks. I haven't stopped riding to catch up." He walked forwards a couple of steps, his tired eyes fell upon each of the children as if he were taking note of their existence for the first time "Good, you all got out."  
"Looks like it could rain soon." Chip noted looking up at the dark clouds "That should wash away the tracks."

Ulrich nodded in agreement. Taking advantage of the situation to stretch out his tired muscles, Ulrich paced up and down a couple of times. Sure enough, just as the youngest of the children had predicted, it soon began to rain. At first, it was only a few fine droplets but it soon turned into a downpour. They weren't unusual here in autumn. They presented a great threat back at the camp, it wasn't infrequent for the heavy rains to cause mudslides, not dissimilar to the one that had separated Jeremy from the rest of his family…

Despite the rain, within a few moments, he was back on his horse and they were riding along as if they had never been separated. The heavy rain drenched through their clothes which were hardly waterproof. They had scavenged what they wore, occasionally patching it up with pieces of mismatching fabric. The end result was neither warm nor necessarily comfortable but it was all they had.

Ulrich was his usual quiet self, he seldom talked openly nowadays; it was rare but sometimes he opened up a little to her but never in front of others, especially not the children. He only spoke when someone asked a question. His somewhat grim presence caused the little group to cease talking completely for a good hour and a half. Eventually, it was young Marie who finally decided to ask the question that was on all of their minds:

"What happened to the others?"  
"At least twenty of them are dead; Michel, François, Amandine…" He listed each of their names but didn't go into any detail on how they were killed; there was a tone of distance in his voice which was almost mechanical "I don't know about the others, they fled further into the mountains."  
"Did X.A.N.A follow you?" Aelita asked nervously looking behind her to ensure that there were no pursuers.  
"He did for a little while, which is why I started off by fleeing south before losing them and heading out here." He told them "Don't worry, they're not following. After all, if we keep heading in this direction, we'll be in the glass lands."

Aelita's eyes widened as she realized that they were heading west. Of course, she knew which direction they were heading in. After all, she had a compass and was more than capable of navigating. It was more that she had forgotten what was out here…

What Ulrich referred to as the Glass Lands were about a 100km radius around where the city of Marseille had once stood. It had been one of the last strong holds in all of France and had met a rather bitter if instantaneous end. X.A.N.A had launched a bomb, a terrible bomb which had levelled everything in an instant. The heat from the explosion was said to have been so great, that the earth beneath their feet had been turned to glass. There was nothing there now, just death and bad memories…

Even X.A.N.A didn't go there anymore as there was no need. Nothing could survive for any length of time, no humans would be foolish enough to try and cross it: there was no food and no water. Yet it was where they were heading.

The rain finally stopped just as the sun was beginning to set. Leaving each of them soaked through to the skin, with their hair dripping wet. The horses had slowed down considerably from a mixture of fatigue and the reluctance to have to trudge through the rain.

Their discussions were brief and usually not about much. She imagined that the children were still in shock. Chip and Marie at least, had never really witnessed a true massacre. She had been lucky enough to get them out before they witnessed the one back at the camp. Aelita had witnessed the effects of post-traumatic stress on many a person following X.A.N.A's rise to power. For some, it had proved too much. Kai and Ulrich who had fought and survived through the destruction of Paris both carried their scars; they just never talked about them.

"We should stop soon." Aelita declared seeing the sun slowly begin to set.  
"Yes, we need to find some cover first." Ulrich agreed.

They eventually settled down in a small rocky formation at the base of a cliff. There was very little change that night from the night before. Ulrich's presence brought reassurance to the children however, despite his coldness towards them as a general, for the past few years he had watched over them alongside her. Knowing that he was alive and safe would bring them some comfort. They lit the fire and once more cooked their food.

The kids eventually did begin to talk amongst themselves, chattering and giggling about various things. Aelita smiled warmly, it was good to see them with a little more life in them than last night. Kai was busy explaining something about how to make a snare trap to the two of them. Both Chip and Marie had been becoming more involved with the day-to-day survival back at the camp. When they were younger, they had been somewhat exempt and allowed to do what they pleased. Now, obviously that was even less of an option… They would have to learn to survive out here; just as she had, just had Ulrich and Kai had.

"Can we have a bedtime story?" Chip cautiously asked as time for sleeping grew near.  
"You guys realize that I don't have Peter Pan, right?" She only had vital supplies; children's story's didn't really fit into that. "Besides, there's not enough light to read."  
"You can make one up!" Marie insisted looking to her mother with pleading eyes.  
"Well… I guess that I could try."

She hasn't made up a story in quite some time. Peter Pan had kept them going for a good month before and she had read them other stories beforehand. Sitting next to her children who were warmly tucked up in their sleeping bags, she began to invent a story. _Why not start with Mr. Pück?_ She thought to herself remembering her old toy. Using her old dreams/nightmares as the starting point, she managed to create an entire world around the little elf. The children defiantly seemed to enjoy it, she was all too aware of just how tired they were.

It wasn't long before they were falling asleep, she allowed herself to stop telling the story. They didn't even notice as both of them nodded off exhausted. Kai offered her a slight smile before curling up into a ball and drifting off to sleep. Aelita watched them for a few moments, they looked so peaceful… As they should have been all the time, as they would have been were it not for X.A.N.A and the looming menace of extinction.

She could have spent hours like that but tonight she had other matters to attend to. Turning back to see her old friend, she let out a sigh. Despite their reunion, things were far from good. He was sitting a fair distance away from the camp; out of earshot of the children. Not that they would have heard the discussion, they were fast asleep and she doubted that a little chatter would have awoken them.

"So, we're heading to the Glass Lands…" Ulrich muttered as she sat next to him.  
"Looks that way." Aelita replied. "We can't turn back and we know that X.A.N.A's got too many bases north for us to be able to slip through."  
"Do you think that the glass lands will live up to their name?"  
"I guess we'll see what they look like."  
"What do you think we'll find out there Aelita?" Ulrich asked her standing up "Some great resistance? A secret weapon? Safe heaven?!"

Aelita narrowed her eyes, what was this about? She had been expecting a simple discussion about their next move and tactics. An argument, which is what this looked like it was going to turn into, wasn't something she was exactly prepared for. As such, she remained silent for a few moments, looking into the cold and tired brown eyes of the Samurai. She wished so much to see the same will to live course through them that she had known as a teen…

"I don't know what we'll find out there." She replied looking down at the mud beneath her feet. "But it can't be any worse that what we just left behind."  
"Hm…" He paused for a moment, as if he were deep in thought. "A X.A.N.A laser or starving to death… A great choice you've got set up there. Maybe we should ask the ch-"  
"Ulrich stop it!" Aelita commanded lowly, deciding not to even let him finish his sentence. "You were and are a lot of things! But you're not cruel."

Ulrich looked at her with wide eyes and a look of surprise on his face. He stayed starring at her like that for a few moments, before looking away down at his feet. His head hung low, as he tried to come to grasps with what he had just said. He wondered for a few moments, if he had actually meant it or whether it had simply been anger and exhaustion talking. He let out a deep sigh before turning to look back at his old friend, perhaps his only friend still remaining in this world, or what was left of it.

"I'm sorry Aelita…" He muttered quietly but sincerely. "It's just-"  
"I understand." She spoke softly whilst placing her right hand on his shoulder, in that calming voice that she alone seemed to be able to produce. "I miss them too…"  
"We've lost so much…"  
"Yes but not everything. Kai, Marie and Chip are alive because of those who we have lost sacrifices. We're still alive."  
"Just…" Ulrich replied in a hushed voice, taking her hand which had been placed on his shoulder and looking at it. "Only just…"

Aelita lowered her own gaze, to look at what was left of her right hand. Two years ago, she had lost her ring finger to frostbite. It had been a colder than usual snap in the mountains, a slight tear in her glove coupled with dealing with freezing water had led to her being forced to amputate it when some signs of infection had become visible. Or rather she had had to Ulrich to do so. He had objected fervently at the idea of hurting her and it had taken a god few hours of her insisting and explaining to him that it would be better than gangrene and potentially a lethal infection before he had finally agreed to help.

That decision still haunted him today, despite the fact that it had made very little difference to her life. Sure it was a tad unsightly and sometimes holding things with her right hand was a little more complicated than with her left but she had learnt to live with it and now took no notice of it.

"How many times am I going to have to ask you to forget about that?" She asked him with a warm smile.  
"Jeremy would have killed me." He muttered looking away.  
"If he'd have tried to stop you I would have killed him, now stop beating yourself up over it!" She commanded. "If we're going to survive this, we've got to stick together!"  
"You're right." He agreed.  
"And that means no more _mopping_, alright mister?!" She insisted slightly be elbowing him in the ribs.  
"Ouch… Okay, I'll try…"

Aelita gave him a satisfied smirk. Just how effective this little talk had been remained to be seen, she knew that her old friend could be difficult to say the least. Still, she kept up some hopes for him. It wasn't long before the two adults were settling down near the fire ready to go to sleep themselves. Aelita gave each of her children a little kiss on the forehead to say goodnight as she always did, whilst her old friend contented himself with a glance to ensure that they were safe.

"Goodnight. Sleep tight." She muttered tiredly as she settled down in her sleeping bag.  
"Goodnight…" Came the reply.


	8. Chapter 7

_"__Yumi? What are you doing here?" Ulrich asked seeing his old friend standing only a few feet away.  
"Oh! Hi Ulrich… I just- Came to watch the game…" The young Japanese woman admitted brushing some hair behind her ear.  
"Great!" He offered her a wide smile before frowning slightly. "I thought that you had college?"  
"I- I took the day off." She replied looking down at her feet suddenly.  
"Is everything alright, Yumi?" He asked growing slightly concerned. "You realize that you can tell me anything right."_

Yumi nodded slightly nervously. Ulrich took notice of the odd behavior but decided not to insist any further. Time and experience had taught him that there were times when prying with Yumi was necessary but more often than not, she would open up eventually by herself. Still, her attitude puzzled him; it had been a while since he had seen her act this way. True, he saw a little less of her now that she had graduated but usually they saw each other at least five times a week, even if it was only for a few moments.

They walked through the park, heading towards the stadium. Today, was officially the last soccer game of the year, meaning Ulrich's final game at Kadic. Their opponents? Lincoln. The match bore a rather sticking resemblance to a game he had played quite some time ago. Hopefully, this time nobody would end up floating towards the sky after a demonic A.I effectively turned off the gravity. With X.A.N.A defeated however that seemed rather unlikely.

"It feels weird to be back at Kadic." Yumi admitted looking around the familiar grounds. "It's been a year but it still feels sort of like home."  
"Yeah, to think I only have a couple of weeks left…" He gave the girl a brief glance before smiling. "It'll be odd studying somewhere with no secret passages."  
"I haven't quite gotten used to it myself!" Yumi responded after a laugh before becoming serious once more. "Ul- Ulrich, there's something I need to tell you…"  
"Yes Yumi?" He asked turning around to look her dead in the eyes. "What is it?"  
"I- Do you-"  
"Stern!"

They turned around to see a very familiar figure running towards them. Perhaps running was pushing it, more like walking at a pace which said he was trying to run but his slight weight excess made it difficult to do so. Jim, who needed no introduction, came over to them with a frustrated look on his face. He stopped however as he noticed Yumi, the young Japanese girl offered him a warm smile. Ulrich was pretty sure this was about kick off time and how he was dangerously close to missing it. Thankfully, the presence of one of his ex-students seemed to have distracted him somewhat it only took him a couple of seconds before he got over it though.

"Oh! Hi Yumi!" The gym teacher greeted her with a sincere smile.  
"Hello, Jim." She replied warmly.  
"Aren't you supposed to be in college or something?" He asked raising an eyebrow as his old suspicions resurfaced.  
"I don't have class today." She lied.  
"Oh well, are you going to watch the game then?"  
"Yes…" Her voice trailed off ever-so slightly.  
"Then get moving the both of you!" Jim abruptly shouted.

Ulrich didn't see Yumi again until he was on the pitch. She was sitting down on the benches, surrounded by the rest of the Lyoko gang. The old friends chatted amicably before they noticed him walk on. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his girlfriend's encouraging smile. He returned the gesture discreetly. Her presence was unexpected yet a welcome one. Still, her attitude puzzled him, something was defiantly on her mind.

He didn't have enough time to think about it any further as the whistle was blown and the game commenced. It went without saying that they won. Football came naturally to him, a lot more naturally than science and math in any case. Still, he had been pleasantly surprised when he had received his past few report cards; it was amazing just how much fighting X.A.N.A had disrupted their everyday lives. It had taken them several months to get used to not having to rush to the factory for one reason or another. Sure, at first they had all missed it somewhat but as time went by, they had found something better…

At the end of the game, the spectators were cheering. The celebrating pored over onto the pitch slightly as a crowd formed around Ulrich seeking to congratulate him. As flattered as he was, his attention was elsewhere. He managed to see past those surrounding him and spot Yumi. She raised her head upon noticing his gaze fixed upon her and gave him a warm smile. Jim stood between them blocking his view. He let out a frustrated sigh before moving his head to one side slightly to see past. Yumi had disappeared.

Unable to see her anywhere else, he was about to let out a slight curse when a strong hand grabbed him from behind. A little surprised, he turned around to see William with the rest of his friends. Odd steps forwards:

"Ladies and gentlemen! Our star striker has something very important that he needs to deal with, so if you'd be so kind as to address all praise and worship to Odd the magnificent!"  
"Go catch up with Yumi." William spoke quietly so that only he could hear. "There's something on her mind."  
"Right…" Ulrich agreed.  
"We'll hold off your adoring fans!" Aelita told him with a wink.

The soccer player headed off towards the park. He had no way of knowing just where Yumi was headed but considering her current state of mind, he was willing to bet that she was taking a steady walk back home whilst passing through the park. Breaking into a run, he went down the familiar dirt paths running through the place that he had called home for many years. Sure enough, just ahead he could make out a familiar figure walking slowly along.

"Yumi!" He called out.

She turned around; the young woman looked a little surprised to see him coming towards her so quickly. Once he reached her, he paused trying to catch his breath. It was summer and hot, he had been playing soccer all afternoon and following his sprint, he had just given himself a side stitch. Yumi looked at him sympathetically, as he gasped for breath. Eventually, they both walked a little further until they came across a tap, usually used for gardening but today served to give Ulrich a much needed drink.

"You should be back there…" Yumi told him once he was finally in a state to be able to have a conversation with her.  
"Maybe but I'd rather be with you…" He replied looking her dead in the eyes. "What's bothering you?"  
"Nothing Ulrich." She replied looking away, as if something in the trees had distracted her. "I'm fine really."  
"Do I have to bring you another rose to get you to say what's wrong?"  
"No. No, had better not do that."

Yumi let out a slight sigh before turning away from her boyfriend. He gave her a few moments to herself, so that she could gather her thoughts together. He had learnt to be patient with this kind of thing, although it did make him feel a little uneasy wondering just what she could have to say that seemed to be so difficult to tell him. He wasn't a fool; there was a big difference between not having great grades and being an idiot. He placed a hand on her shoulder; she turned around to look him in the eyes.

"You remember Odd's party a couple of months ago?" She asked not breaking eye contact.  
"Hard to forget it." He replied smiling.  
"Yeah, uh… You remember what happened afterwards?"  
"Oh…" Ulrich muttered figuring out where this was all going.  
"It's uh… I'm uh…"  
"Wanna sit down?" The Lyoko Samurai suggested gesturing at a bench.  
"I think I need to."

A couple of minutes later, Yumi was telling him everything. Ulrich listened attentively but didn't say a word. His girlfriend had begun to speak and now, nothing was going to stop her from getting her story out. He had sort of been expecting something like this; two days ago, she had abruptly stopped answering his calls and then when she'd suddenly turned up out of the blue like this. Okay, maybe he hadn't know the exact cause but still, he wasn't quite as shocked as he could have been.

"So I decided to come here- and… God, Ulrich I don't know what to do…" She muttered placing her head in her hands.  
"Well, what do you want to do?" He asked her gently.  
"I'm 20 in a month Ulrich…" Yumi muttered quietly. "I'm studying law and now I've got a baby. I can't- can't possibly- I've got to-"  
"Is that what you think or what others have been telling you?" He frowned ever so slightly.  
"Mom and dad… They think I should get rid of it, one way or another." She paused letting out a deep sigh. "But- But, when I think back to everything we've seen. I dunno, it kind of shines a new light on life."  
"Sure does." Ulrich agreed looking up at the warm sun as some clouds passed over it.  
"I- Ulrich, would you be happy as a father?" She asked him suddenly.  
"Honestly?" He asked looking down at Yumi through his brown eyes. "So long as you're there, I'll be happy. I love you Yumi…"

He passed his arm around her shoulders and pulled her a little closer. She tucked her head under her chin and let out a deep sigh. He sensed her relax ever-so-slightly, perhaps for the first time in a while. Gently, he ran a hand through her short black hair. This was going to be fun to explain to his parents: nineteen years old, heading off to college in a few months and a father to be…

Yumi was sitting with her parents in the main room of their house. The heated discussion coming from the kitchen where Ulrich had chosen to call his parents from made its way through the doors and to her ears. True, she couldn't understand most of it as it was being carried out in German but she could most definitely pick up on the aggression. She suspected that Ulrich was intentionally speaking in German (his mother tongue) so that she couldn't quite understand what was being said. By his own admission he was now far more comfortable speaking in French and she knew that his parents were both fluent in the language; this was his way of censoring an unpleasant argument.

After about half an hour's argument, there was a final yell of German_**: Dann einfach verloren dir einen Sonn! **__Despite Yumi's only basic grasp of the language, she was fairly certain that last sentence meant that things hadn't turned out so well. The rage still marked on Ulrich's face as he walked in only seemed to confirm that theory._

_"__What happened to your cellphone?" Hiroki asked.  
"I'll fetch it from the garden later." Ulrich replied grimly, running a hand through his hair to try and relieve some of the stress.  
"They didn't take it very well, did they?" Yumi guessed.  
"Well, let me put it this way: I'm officially cut off, disinherited and disowned…"  
"Oh God, I'm sorry Ulrich…" Yumi declared placing her hands over her mouth.  
"Nah… No sweat. It's not like we got on anyway."_

The Ishiyamas blinked a couple of times perhaps not quite understanding just how Ulrich could be so blaze about effectively losing his parents. Still, they decided against asking him about it. The young man simply smiled; obviously he would have preferred his parents to take the news well and to be supportive of their only child but that was wishful thinking. He knew his parents well enough to have expected their reaction. Oh well, there was always the hope that they'd come around eventually but he suspected that it was unlikely.

"We'll leave you two in peace shall we?" Suggested Yumi's mother.

Her father nodded as they both got up to leave. They figured that the couple needed some time to themselves, considering how hectic things had been for them these past 5 hours. Hiroki lingered a few moments obviously pushing his luck and seeing if he could remain and possibly pick up on some gossip. A stern look from Akiko however convinced her son that eavesdropping might not be best; he quickly disappeared out of the room.

The door shut, leaving the two old friends alone together. After a few moments, Ulrich chose to come away from the window and sit next to Yumi. The Japanese girl gave him a warm smile.

"Mom and dad say that you can stay here if you want." She informed him.  
"I'd like that…" He replied, honestly he'd love it. "But won't I be getting in the way?"  
"Not really, dad got a promotion. They were going to move and leave me the house anyway." She admitted.  
"Really?!" Ulrich looked around, that had been the one thing worrying him: how would he cope with a family whilst being cut off and trying to get himself an education?  
"Well yeah." Yumi let out a brief sigh before resting her head against Ulrich's shoulder. "Thank you Ulrich…"  
"For what?" He asked a little puzzled.  
"For being you…"  
  
Ulrich's eyes opened slowly. He had been sleeping on his saddle. Letting out a tired yawn, he straightened himself slightly. It took him a few moments, to remember where he was. As soon as he did, he felt himself long to be back in his dreams and memories. He wanted to be sitting next to the woman he loved as they snuggled together in the living room, not riding along here in this apocalypse.

His eyes lowered slightly to look at the young girl riding along near him. Her little blue eyes looked up at him with concern. Rubbing his eyes slightly in an attempt to remove the sleep from them, Ulrich tried to pull himself together. He looked to his right, Kai, Chip and Aelita were still absent. They had gone scouting a while ago. Despite his concerns, he realized that it was necessary; after all, they had run out of food two days ago and were coming up on the glass lands.

"Sorry about that Marie." He muttered still somewhat absorbed by his dream. "I guess I nodded off."  
"You were talking to yourself." She informed him. "Like Kai does but without the screaming."  
"Yes. I was dreaming." Ulrich informed her.  
"Nightmare?" She questioned tilting her head slightly to one side in a curious fashion.  
"No. No…" A small smile graced his lips as he thought back to it. "I was just remembering…"  
"Remembering what?"  
"The best of days…" He replied.  
"Uh oh… Ulrich's smiling. I haven't seen that in a while."

Ulrich turned around to see Aelita and the boys emerging from the woods. His eyes widened; had he been smiling? Thinking back to those days was one of the few things capable of brining any trace of happiness back to him. Those days, he counted as the happiest of his life: roughly from the initial defeat of X.A.N.A to his sudden reappearance that terrible night. He had been happy: his friends were always by his side, he had had a family and he had had love.

Aelita always told him that in some way, he still had all that. Ever the optimist… If there was one decision in his life that he didn't regret it was turning the supercomputer on and bringing her into the real world. Her never ending kindness and joy had inspired them for so long… If turning on the supercomputer had been the price to pay for that, then so be it… He just hated the people who had come along after them and turned it back on.

His eyes fell upon Chip, the youngest member of their little group was paler than usual and awfully quiet. He hoped that the boy wasn't sick. Out here like this, with almost zero supplies, they wouldn't be able to do much for him.

"We found some bodies." Aelita declared gently bending over and placing a hand on her son's shoulder. "Humans on humans."  
"Sometimes we're our own worst enemies." Ulrich muttered bitterly, gripping his horse's reins a little tighter. "Any sign of the culprits."  
"None, but I think we'd better not stick around and wait to become acquaintances." That was Aelita for: let's run.  
"The good news is that the Glass lands begin just over that hill." Kai informed them pointing at a hill slightly in the distance.  
"Didn't I teach you the meaning of '_Good news?_'" Ulrich asked his son.  
"You taught me how to be grumpy? Does that count?"

Aelita rolled her eyes slightly before urging her horse on. They had found about five corpses left by the side of a road with bullet holes in the; they were a few days old. The mere sight had caused Chip to throw up. She regretted having taken him on their little exploration. Still as disturbing as the sight had been, she feared that he might have to get used to it. Perhaps not to the extent of no longer caring but not panicking was best. It was important to remain clearheaded. Bodies meant that it was time to move on and quickly.

It had been over two weeks since they had been forced to flee. In that time, they had come across no other human beings (excluding the corpses) but fortunately none of X.A.N.A's monsters. He had ruled earth for ten years now, searching for human survivors was no longer one of his major occupations. There simply weren't enough of them left to make it worth his while. He would of course wipe them out when he found them but for now, searching every inch of the globe required too much energy it would seem.

That was their theory. Their only answer to the simple question: why aren't we dead?

It took them another hour before they reached the edge of the Glass Lands. Although for about a mile or so before hand the vegetation began to become scarce. There was a sense of grim death as they looked out over the barren landscape. The earth had turned to strange grey sand, stretching out as far as they eye could see. It was a never ending dessert without even rocks or dead trees. It was a massive grey sandbox with heavy dark clouds looming over head. They spent a while starring at it, hesitating and unwilling to risk bogging down in some strange quick sand.

"Who wants to see if we sink?" Ulrich asked looking at the group.  
"Can we vote on this?" Chip asked feeling a little uneasy.  
"Ulrich! Rock, paper, scissors!" Aelita requested.

She lost.

Quickly dismounting, the pink haired woman edged closer to the gray sand. Her horse didn't seem panicked, always a good sign. It was only with the very tip of her toe that she dared touch the sand, instantly flinching away afraid that it might burn her. Nothing happened however, prompting her to try again. Kneeling down, she decided to see what the sand felt like in her finger. It was softer than any other sand she had encountered; rubbing it a little she suddenly realized what it was.

"Ash." She announced, before rubbing away the upper layer to reveal thick blue glass. "There's a layer of ash covering over the glass."  
"Hm…" Ulrich dismounted and took a couple of steps forwards before placing a foot on the ground. "The horses are going to love this."  
"So are we." Aelita took a handful of ash before allowing it to be blown away in the wind. "Nothing can grow here and there's going to be no water until we reach the other side."  
"A walk in the park then…" Chip summed up looking out into the great expanse.

Slowly, they decided to set off into the dead desert. The horses were more than a little uneasy as they placed their hooves on the flat and somewhat slippery surface. Their riders dismounted, choosing to lead them on foot for the first few miles so as to let them get used to it. On the upside, at least X.A.N.A was unlikely to look for them somewhere that they couldn't possibly survive.


	9. Chapter 8

**Sorry about what happened to the layout, here's hoping it's fixed! That's for the reviews!**

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Aelita held on to her reins as tightly as she could. The wind was blowing directly into their faces now, she couldn't tell exactly how fast it was but she knew that she was having trouble sitting up straight. If that wasn't bad enough, the ash covering the ground was blown into their faces making it impossible to see without goggles. It was a good thing that whoever had packed their bags back at the camp and thought to include gas masks, not only for the humans but for the horses as well. They wore them tightly against their faces, to prevent any ash from entering their lungs.

Without the wind, the ash was unpleasant enough. The horses would often kick some up and somebody behind would end up getting a face full. Aelita was only too aware that breathing too much of the ash in would have been dangerous especially in the volumes they were talking about. There was the equally unpleasant thought of just what had created all of it. Marseille and some of the surrounding villages had been here at one point, now they were nothing more than dust and glass, as were the people who had lived there…

Aelita felt her daughter grip her around the waste a little tighter as there was yet another gust of wind. She placed a hand over the child's smaller ones trying to comfort her. As brave as the children were – and they were, oh so brave to live and dare to smile in a world where any day could be their last – they had their limits. Walking through a desert of toxic ash and glass in the middle of a storm was downright terrifying for them. The children rode behind the adults so as the shelter them as much as possible from the storm.

She cast a glance to Ulrich, he was struggling as much as she was with Chip holding on for dear life behind him. Kai, with the ever-resilient Yama were a little ahead of them.

"We can't go on like this!" Aelita tried yelling as hard as she could to get the message across to Ulrich.

She wasn't too sure that he heard her. He was probably capable of guessing though as he stopped his horse. He dismounted picking up Chip and placing him on the ground next to him. The boy struggled to stand up partly due to the winds but also because of the pain in his muscles caused by spending too much time in the saddle. Aelita, Kai and Marie soon joined him. He tried to speak to them but with a mixture of the wind and his mask, his words were muffled and indistinguishable.

"Say what?" Asked Kai removing his mask.  
"Idiot!" Yelled Aelita shoving it back onto his face. "Listen, we need to set up camp here. If we use some of the sheets, we might be able to wait this out."  
"I think I got that…" Marie replied.

A couple of minutes later, Ulrich and Aelita were doing their best to hammer some stakes into the ground. It would have been so much easier if it were dirt. However, it could have been worse. Although the glass shattered, it did so in such a fashion which allowed them to wedge the pegs in. They struggled to raise the tent in the wind. Eventually it took all five of them to finish the job struggling all the while. They were forced to leave the horses outside, after all, there wasn't enough space in the tent for them.

The tent was too small for their number; it was meant for about four people. Still, it was better than being blown away outside. After a few moments, they even dared to remove their gas masks. Aelita let out a sigh, she felt completely exhausted. She longed for sleep, simply to curl up in a ball and be able to drift off would be nice…

"You guys look really old…" Chip remarked looking at the two adults.  
"What?" Ulrich asked with a confused look on his face.  
"Your hair's all gray…" Marie chuckled.  
"Huh?"

Aelita laughed slightly before brushing her old friend's hair causing some of the gray ash to fall off. He looked rather surprised, before running his hands through it himself and removing the powder. They all did the same, trying to remove as much of the substance as they could. It wasn't pleasant to say the least, it stuck to their clothes, their hair and their skin leaving them looking like pale grey ghosts. Ulrich did his best to shovel the remaining ash away and outside of the tent without letting anymore in.

"How long do you think that storm's going to last?" Marie asked snuggling up to her mother slightly.  
"Impossible to know." Ulrich replied listening to the whistling wind. "It could be an hour, it could be a week."  
"Personally, I wouldn't mind if it blew on for a little longer. I quite like the idea of a sleep." Kai declared lying down.  
"Yeah, well you're lazy." Chip replied looking down at the older teen.  
"No. I'm practical." He replied before coughing slightly. "Since I'm here, I had might as well sleep because there isn't anything else productive to do."  
"Sure there is!" Marie insisted.  
"Like what?" He asked opening one eye to look at them.  
"Like haircuts…" Aelita replied with a large smile.

She knew all too well that the kids didn't like haircuts. Even although it was a comparatively rare occurrence, they almost always argued and put up a fight. She wasn't too sure why, usually changes in routine were welcomed with open arms. Maybe it was because they were required to sit still for more than a few minutes whilst she tried not to hurt them with the scissors and give them at least decent cut. By far the worst was Marie… Indeed as soon as the mention of haircuts reared its head, she began to look a little uneasy.

Before she could flee once more however, one of Ulrich's strong hands grabbed her physically picking her up before dropping her off in her mother's grasp. Aelita chuckled slightly as her daughter struggled for a few moments trying to escape. After a few moments, the pink haired woman tickled the girl slightly causing her to replace the fighting with laughing.

"Not fair!" She managed after the tickle-attack had ended.  
"What I'd call not fair is you causing trouble for your mother." Ulrich replied.

Marie eventually calmed down enough to allow her mother to brush out her hair. Aelita was no hairstylist, she contented herself with simply snipping it so that their fringes no longer got in their eyes and their hair was about neck length. It allowed them to see clearly, avoided such unpleasantries as hair in eyes or mouth whilst keeping their necks warm. Still, it was better than not touching it and letting it grow out of control.

Marie was surprising good this time and didn't put up much of a struggle. It only required a brief glare from Ulrich to convince Chip that perhaps a haircut wasn't such a bad idea. The floor became littered with strands of pink and blonde hair. Kai wasn't allowed to escape either, not that he usually protested. Tonight especially, he seemed to be far too tired for any arguing. Outside the wind continued to whistle outside. They would likely have to dig themselves out in the morning…

The kids didn't seem to mind the noise however, it wasn't long before they were all curled up and sleeping in the corner of the tent in an attempt to keep warm. Aelita watched them fondly as she cut Ulrich's hair. It warmed her heart to see them sleeping peacefully, seemingly without a care in the world.

"They're cute like that…" Aelita noted watching them.  
"Yes." Ulrich agreed. "They can just shut themselves off from the world around them."  
"I'm not so sure about that but they can learn to live with it."  
"Aelita?"  
"Mm?"  
"There's somewhere on the other side of the desert, we can't stay there but I'd like to visit it."  
"Odd request from you Ulrich…" Aelita noted frowning ever so slightly. "You're normally the one saying we can't stop."  
"Believe me, I'd rather not… It's just- That's where we buried Yumi."

Aelita paused. His honesty took her somewhat by surprise. Usually, Ulrich kept quiet where Yumi was concerned. He even got snappy if other people mentioned her, such was the hole is his heart she had left. She had initially believed that he was somehow trying to forget her, not in the literal sense; more like trying to forget the space that was now empty in his life. Going back to where he had laid the woman he loved to rest ten years ago seemed to be going contrary to everything that he had done previously.

"Do you think that would help you?" She eventually asked him.  
"I don't know…" He replied looking away for a moment. "I wish I could say one way or another. I thought that it would get better but it's not… I miss her so much…"  
"I know you do Ulrich. I miss her too." Aelita hesitated a few moments as the memories of all of her old friends threatened to bring tears to her eyes. "I think we should go. If nothing else, I'd like to say goodbye to her. I never really had the chance."  
"Thank you…"

Aelita managed to nod before looking away. Ulrich did the same. She couldn't recall ever seeing him cry these past 10 years. In fact, the last time she could recall seeing him shed a tear it was the day of Kai's birth, joy seemed to bring them to him more easily than sorrow. Still, right now, she suspected that some of his pent up sadness had found a way to release itself, in the form of a single drop of water trickling down his cheek.

It had been a long time since Aelita Stones or rather Belpois had last hugged Ulrich Stern. Years doubtlessly… It took him a moment but eventually he returned the gesture. Neither of them said it very often but the comfort they brought each other was immeasurable. They were friends just as they always had been, friends who had both somehow survived this apocalypse and were now travelling together with their children to whatever lands lay beyond this desolation.

It seemed impossible but here they were both still alive…

_Aelita held on to her children for dear life as they were swept increasingly far downstream, by the torrent. She used all of her strength to keep their heads above the water and prevent them from drowning. Both were in shock and clung to her desperately. Jeremy was also on her mind, as well as X.A.N.A; she kept on looking behind her to see if either or both were still following. She couldn't see either anymore._

She couldn't have said how long they were swept away like that or what distance they covered. All she knew was that by the time the current slowed and she was finally able to struggle over to the bank with her children, she was barely able to life her head. She ensured that they were out of the water, safe on dry land before pulling herself out to join them. Lying on her side, she closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She could vaguely remember falling asleep in the cold and fearing that she might not wake.

But she had. She awoke dry and warm, on a cart being pulled by a horse. There was a group of at least 100 people heading down a small trail through the forest heading towards the mountains. She groaned slightly trying to pull herself together. A sudden thought struck her, where were her children? Sitting bolt upright, she found them sitting at the foot of the cart chatting with a slightly older Asian-looking boy; they noticed her and instantly broke off their discussion and came running over to her.

"Mom!" They cried rushing over and giving her a hug.  
"Thank goodness you're alright!" She held both of them tightly delighted to see that they were both alright.  
"You fell asleep!" Marie told her before turning to look at the passing crowd. "These guys picked us up!"  
"Did they?" Aelita asked looking around at the refugees. "Who's your friend?"  
"Kai Ishiyama." The boy gave her very slight bow.

**Ishiyama**… Kai Ishiyama, of course the name meant something to Aelita. After all, she was the godmother of a child bearing that very name. Her blood froze for a moment starring at the boy in front of her. He looked to be about ten and had all the hallmarks of a child who had had a rough life; he was filthy, his dark hair was a mess and his skin was already decorated with quite a few scratches. Could this really be the child of Yumi Ishiyama and Ulrich Stern? Still alive out here in this dying world?

"Kai-" She muttered, lowly wondering whether or not to question the child any further. "The son of Yumi Ishiyama and Ulrich Stern?"  
"Who are you?"

Before the surprised boy had had a chance to reply, Aelita found the blade of a rather sharp katana pressed against her neck.

Without daring to move her head, she glanced at the blade's owner who was walking along next to the cart. She recognized his eyes more than his face that had become hard, belonging to the survivor that he had become. Yet his brown eyes still held a vague flicker of the kindness that she knew them to have. Despite the fact that he was currently threatening to kill her, Aelita found an overwhelming joy take over her as she recognized her old friend.

"Ulrich!" She let out quietly to avoid him panicking and slicing something vital. "It's me… Aelita."  
"Aelita?" His eyes widened and almost instantly the weapon was back in its sheath. "Should have guessed it was you…"  
"How come?"  
"You know anyone else with pink hair?"  
"Asides my daughter? No." Aelita paused as something else occurred to her. "Where's Yumi?"  
"Yumi…" Ulrich muttered leaving a long pause. "She's dead Aelita."

The following morning, things were far quieter… The storm outside had ended. Just as they predicted however as soon as they opened the tent ash poured inside. The group struggled outside to find their horses still very much present and alive, all be it covered in gray powder. A few minutes later, they had set off for the place which Ulrich had pointed out on their map


End file.
